Nutrition

Pay attention to your nutrition. Your body is designed to run on 40 grams of fiber per day. The average American diet does not come close to that level. Alter your diet to get 30-40 grams of fiber per day—preferably from dietary sources. Fiber should be approximately 50% soluble fiber and 50% insoluble fiber. Good sources of fiber include raw or lightly steamed vegetables, fresh fruits and whole grains. Instead of white bread, eat whole grain bread.

Eat as many of your vegetable raw or lightly steamed as possible. Any food heated to 112 degrees loses all of its digestive enzymes, forcing your liver to work overtime to produce those from within. Heating food excessively also breaks down the fiber in foods. Don’t simply fill your stomach with empty calories. Demand quality nutrition from what you eat. Try to eat a wide variety of wholesome foods. These supply your body with the proper vitamins, minerals and amino acids necessary for cellular growth and regeneration. It is possible to supplement vitamins and minerals with over-the-counter vitamin pills. However, the only way to get the amino acids needed is through a variety of vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

Avoid foods that are highly processed or refined. Refined sugars and high glycemic index foods rob you of the opportunity for proper nutrition. They fill up your stomach but do not provide you with the building blocks of health. Don’t misunderstand. I do not ascribe to the current, widely accepted food pyramid. Personally, I believe a low glycemic index diet rich in fiber, and low in saturated fats provides you the best opportunity to fuel your body properly.

Eating

Chew your food slowly and fully. Most of us were taught in grade school that the role of the stomach is to grind the food we eat. Consider how soft your internal organs are. The real role of the stomach is to mix digestive acids and enzymes with the already ground food. Therefore, chew your food slowly and thoroughly until the food is a mushy soup BEFORE you swallow it. Slow down and chew completely, savoring all the flavors of your food, rather than gulping and running back to work or play. Good health begins with proper digestion and proper digestion begins in the mouth. It only takes an average of 15 minutes to eat a meal. Is work or play really so important that you can’t take 15 minutes for yourself? In the grand scheme of life aren’t you worth 15 minutes? Demand time to relax and enjoy your meal.

Eat several small meals or three smaller meals and mid-morning and mid- afternoon snacks. Your body is fueled more efficiently by eating smaller amounts 5 to 6 times a day. When you eat more frequently you consume less food during the day. Eating small amounts several times per day results in increased energy and better digestion. People who have IBS or Fibromyalgia should make an extra effort to eat in this way.

For people with IBS, keeping food passing through the gut at all times results in less pain. When the muscles of the colon contract against a bolus of food, there is usually no pain. However, when they contract against themselves, nerve endings meeting nerve endings, the result is pain. One of my clients expressed it very well when she said it was like having a skinned knee and rubbing your hand across it. However, when you have a bolus of high fiber food in the gut and those muscles contract, they contract against a squishy bolus of food, sort of like Jell-O and there is no discomfort.

Exercise

Get daily physical exercise. Everyone who has hypertension has been told to exercise. However, it is just as important for people with IBS and FMS to exercise daily as those with HPT. Most of us simply do not make exercise a priority in our lives. And, truthfully, going to a gym three times a week and getting a vigorous workout is not going to do much toward reversing your illness. In the past 10 years there has been an explosion in the numbers of gyms and workout facilities and the numbers of people using them has skyrocketed. However, there has also been an explosion in the number of deaths from high blood pressure. So, the paradigm of getting strenuous exercise three times a week is faulty.

Instead, daily mild to moderate exercise will produce greater health benefits. No matter what your level of de-conditioning, get up off the sofa and get your body in motion. If you can only walk as far as the mailbox without getting out of breath and becoming exhausted, then walk to the mailbox as often as you can during the day. And, do it EVERY day, seven days a week. If you can only tolerate stretching exercises at first, do stretches 3-4 times a day. Begin at your current level of conditioning and gradually build up your exercise tolerance. Do not increase your level of exercise more than once per week.

Research now tells us that three ten-minute bursts of exercise during the day are just as beneficial as one 30-minute workout. The key is to get your heart rate elevated over resting level and sustain it at that level for at least 10 minutes. For many people with fibromyalgia, this type of exercise routine may be better tolerated than a longer period of exercise. Physical exercise lowers pain levels. If you have FMS, it is imperative that you get daily physical exercise but only in the mild to moderate ranges. Anything more vigorous will backfire.

I encourage my IBS clients to walk a mile every day at a steady but comfortable pace. This is not stopping every few feet to admire the neighbor’s lawn but rather a sustained, rhythmic pace. The movement of the muscles of the abdomen helps to communicate rhythmic movements to the muscles of the gut. In addition, when you become more physically fit the muscles inside the gut become more fit as well and can move the bolus of food along the digestive tract more reliably.

Clients frequently ask about the proper intensity of exercise. The rule of thumb to follow is this: If you can sing, you are not exercising hard enough. If you can’t talk, slow down, you’re going at it too hard. If you can talk but don’t want to, that should be the correct level of intensity for you.
Drink Plenty of Water

Drink water. Drink 6-8 large glasses of water daily in addition to any other beverages you consume. No, the water in coffee, tea and carbonated beverages does NOT count. Can you clean your house without using water? Your body can’t either. Everyone consumes toxins and pollutants every day. They are in the foods we eat, the residue of dead and dying cells, medicines we take, etc. These get stored within the cells of our body and the spaces in between cells. If we do not give our bodies the proper levels of hydration it cannot clean them out of the cells. You can’t flush a toilet without water and your body cannot flush the toxins without water. Then they hang around to cause illness or disease. Don’t go crazy with all the herbal cleanses and products sold to detoxify this or that. Do drink adequate amounts of water daily in addition to the other beverages you consume.

These are some basic self-help tips. For some of you, the lifestyle changes advocated here will be enough to manage your symptoms at a level that is comfortable for you. For most of you, they will be a good adjunct to hypnotherapy for eliminating your symptoms. They will provide the basic building materials of good health for your unconscious mind to use in your healing program.

Exercise

Daily exercise. Exercise for you should never be more than mild to moderate in intensity. However, it should be 7 days a week. Water aerobics geared specifically for FMS patients are best. But, walking is second best. Walk the dog. Walk to the mailbox. Walk to the end of the block. If you get tired, sit down to rest. DO NOT PUSH YOURSELF once you become fatigued. Simply rest until you can walk home again. Daily exercise will lower the pain levels you experience, so get out and get moving.

Make Notes

Write notes for yourself. Fibro Fog can be very frustrating. To ease some of the frustration until you feel better, make lists and notes for yourself. Keep a small note pad and make a note of things you want to remember and a daily TO DO list. Cross things off when they are done. You will get a tremendous sense of satisfaction.

These are some tips, which have helped my private clients on their road to recovery. Hopefully, you will find an idea here that makes you life a little easier.